There is an appealing story to the Cambodia gambling halls that lie just across the dividing line from nearby Thailand, where gambling den gaming is prohibited. Eight casinos are anchored in a generally tiny space in the city of Poipet in Cambodia. This conclave of Cambodia casinos is in a perfect destination, a three to 4 hour trip from Bangkok and Macao, the two biggest gambling centers in Asia. Cambodia casinos do a thriving business with Thai laborers and visitors from Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, with just a couple of Westerners. The amazing income gained from the casinos ranges from $7.5 million to more than 12.5 million, and there are a couple of controls requirements for gambling hall ownership. Ownership is presumed to be largely Thai; however, financial sources are vague. The borders are formally open from 0900 to 5:00 p.m., and even though visas are allegedly needed to pass, there are methods around this, as is accurate of most borders.
The initial Cambodia casinos premiered in Phnom Penh in the mid nineties, but were forced to close in the late nineties, leaving only one gambling hall in the capital, the Naga Resort. The Naga, an anchored ship gambling hall, features 150 slot machines and 60 table games. The Naga casino never closes with 42 tables of mini-baccarat banque, 4 tables of twenty-one, ten of roulette, 2 of Caribbean Stud Poker, and a single table each of Pai-Gow and Tai-Sai.
The 1st casino in Poipet, the Holiday Palace, opened in 1999 and the Golden Crown soon opened. A total of one hundred and fifty slots and five tables at the Golden Crown and one hundred and four slot machines and 68 table games at the Holiday Palace. The newer Holiday Palace Casino and Resort highlights 300 one armed bandits and 70 tables and the Princess Hotel and Casino, also in Poipet, has 166 slot machines and ninety six table games, including eighty seven punto banco (the most beloved game), Fan Tan, and Pai Gow. In addition, there is the Casino Tropicana, with 135 slots and sixty six of the common gaming tables, as well as one table of Casino Stud Poker. An additional of the 8 gambling halls in Poipet, again in a motel, is the Princess Casino with 166 one armed bandits and 97 table games. The Star Vegas Casino is part of an international vacation and hotel building that features numerous amenities in addition to the gambling hall, which provides 10,000 sq.ft. of 130 one armed bandits and eighty eight gaming tables.